Self-righteous Germany has left guilt behind

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Britain finds itself baffled by a country that’s no longer a menace and wants to make the EU work

Germany has had a grotesque past and, until recently, a guilt-ridden present.
Since the Federal Republic was founded in 1949, Germans of all generations
have worked assiduously to purge the crimes of the Nazi era.

It was never quite enough. However much money and effort Germany put into
trying to be a good European, it could not scrub away history. For allies
and neighbours, putting pressure on Germany was easy: murmuring “historical
responsibility” was usually enough to open wallets and silence objections.

Not any more. Europe is now facing a new Germany, self-confident to the point
of self-righteousness. It dominates